US Wine Imports Reach Record Levels

April 20, 2017

With imports surpassing one-third of the total market share, the US continues to import more wine than ever. This upward trend is likely to continue with the strong US dollar.

On a rolling 12-month basis, traditional bottled table wine imports to the US hit record levels, which have been pushed upwards by the strong growth of sparkling wines, vermouth and sangria. In our WineData Wine Pricing Report, we have picked up four new Spanish Sangrias introduced over the last few months and a dozen new sparkling wines – the majority coming from Italy and France. Looking at total imports (bottled and bulk) the value of wine imported into the US also continues to grow, driven by imports from Italy and France, whereas volume is driven by Italy and Australia.

The value of US exports also reached record levels on a rolling 12-month basis, while volume is down. With the strong dollar, value priced wines are having a more difficult time competing, but it appears higher priced wines are better able to maintain their volumes.

Interested in more detailed import and export data? Subscribe to our Import and Export Report, also known as the Gomberg-Fredrikson Preview and Supplemental Bulletin. This report is released a few weeks before the Gomberg-Fredrikson Report and contains previews to the Gomberg-Fredrikson Report’s schedules and information. The Import and Export report also contains supplemental schedules and analysis covering imports, exports, grape production and pricing developments.